The Week Ahead 26 October 2018

Dear Parents It is good to be home again after the recent UK recruitment trip. It was a very positive experience, but my subsequent jet lag has meant that there has often appeared to be a zombie walking around school this week, well ahead of the official Halloween celebrations. The issue of bullying is a profoundly important one to all schools. Bullying behaviours are found in all cultures and are not simply confined to the young. The effects of bullying are traumatic, and I have written before about the pernicious impact such conduct can have, often years into a child’s future: there is a proven link between bullying at school and the development of depression and other mental illnesses later in life. As we prepare for our annual week of focus on the issues around dealing with bullying behaviour (5th - 9th November), I thought you would like to find out more about the ways we as a school are committed to fostering a healthy, positive community, and are working to rid ourselves of the blight of children experiencing bullying in their lives. The best defence against bullying is education, and our policies and procedures have all developed from a commitment to making our young people more informed – and thereby, less tolerant of, and less susceptible to, the evils of bullying behaviours. In October, we ran a ‘positive community’ activity, emphasising the importance of respecting others, even those with whom you may disagree. The results of our regular ‘mental wealth’ check for pupils – the ‘how are you?’ survey – in October revealed overwhelmingly positive responses on issues such as personal safety, experiences of bullying, relationships with one another and more. As I write, all children from Year 4 are completing the annual anti-bullying survey, results of which will be used to inform our work in anti-bullying week and which will be made available to parents. Mr Lewis led a briefing for parents on the ways we tackle bullying behaviour, and all pupils will be involved in activities during anti-bullying to week to raise further awareness of the range and extent of bullying forms. Cyberbullying, or ‘e-bullying’, is increasingly seen as the one of the most invasive and destructive forms of anti-social conduct. The rise of the internet, and the near-infinite ways in which young people can be abused online, is relatively new in the world of bullying, but the results can be devastating. The school has sought to address this new, virulent form of bullying by developing a series of measures to help our children and their parents cope. Mr Matthew Ratcliffe (matthew.ratcliffe@wellingtoncollege.cn) is our new online safeguarding lead, working closely with the rest of the safeguarding team; education lies at the heart of our response, and each year group now has a scheme of work in place to raise awareness of online threats. All children have signed an Acceptable Use Policy to show that they understand the school’s commitment to keeping their internet use safe and appropriate, and Safer Internet Day in February 2019 has been extended to a week to help us reinforce such messages across our community. Parents and families play an integral part of the process of education and safeguarding of children. I would urge all our parents to talk to their children and take an active - but not invasive - interest in their online lives. By engaging with our pupils, and by showing that they do not have to suffer abuse online in isolation, we can help to fight back against these attacks on our most vulnerable. This sounds like a gloomy message for a Week Ahead piece, but my colleagues and I share an unshakeable commitment to keeping our pupils – your children - safe in our school. Bullying behaviours all kinds can be stopped by a proactive education programme; by supporting those who are suffering at the hand of others and by fostering a positive reporting culture across the school. In these ways, and by working together in this common cause, we can help to combat the evil influence of bullying. Best wishes Julian Jeffrey MASTER MEET THE MASTER  Duke of York Room 1400hrs-1515hrs Thursday 1st November This week, the Meet the Master slot is aimed at parents of pupils in Years 12 and 13. If you would like to attend, please confirm via email with Ms. Emma Shi (emma.shi@wellingtoncollege.cn) by Wednesday 31st October. PARENTS’ BRIEFING STRETCHING THE MOST ABLE – GIFTED AND TALENTED AT WELLINGTON Common Room 0900hrs-1015hrs Wednesday 31st October Every Wednesday morning from 0900hrs -1015hrs, parents will have the chance to engage with the school in sessions that cover all aspects of your child’s education, from the Early Years to A Levels and university admissions. The venue will vary according to the anticipated audience, and for this week’s meeting, Mrs Dragana Popovic, the Head of the Senior School and Mr Raja Ali, the Head of the Junior School will explore the G&T strategies that we employ in school and how we stretch the most able pupils. FROM THE HEAD OF SENIOR SCHOOL Parents’ Evening: Years 7 and 11 (AL Induction Year) Dining Hall 1700hrs-1830hrs Tuesday 30th October   Parents’ Evening: Years 9 and 11  Dining Hall 1700hrs-1830hrs Thursday 1st November There are two Parents' Evenings next week. Parents' Evening for parents of pupils in Years 7 and Year 11 (A Level Induction) will be on Tuesday 30th October and for Years 9 and 11 on Thursday 1st November. Both evenings run from 1700hrs to 1830hrs in the Dining Hall. Pupils should make appointments with their teachers in advance to ease the queues that can form at such events. Parents will have an opportunity to talk to their child's teachers about their performance this term. Parents are encouraged to bring the copy of the reports with them to the meetings. Members of the Senior Management team will be present to address any questions that parents might have. FROM THE SIXTH FORM TEAM Parents’ Meeting: University Guidance (Year 11 Induction Year) Common Room 1630hrs-1700hrs Tuesday 30th October This meeting will be an opportunity to gain a greater understanding of the connection between academic competence (based on predicted grades) and entry requirements for different universities. There will be further discussion on some of the more popular courses and areas of study. There will be a general Q&A session at the end. After this meeting, parents can directly head to the Dining Hall for the Parents’ Evening with subject teachers. FROM THE DIRECTOR OF MUSIC Autumn Concert Seldon Theatre 1900hrs-2000hrs Tuesday 30th October This coming Tuesday (30th October), we have our Autumn concert. The orchestra will perform, there will be items from three different choirs, chamber music, two barbershop quartets and soloists. Pupils have been working very hard in preparation for this and are excited to present their talents to the Wellington community. We look forward to welcoming you to this exciting event. Please be seated no later than 1855hrs in the Seldon theatre. Refreshments will be provided after the concert. FROM THE HEAD OF MANDARIN Parents’ Briefing: The Mandarin Programme in the Junior School (Non-native Chinese Learners) Common Room 1600hrs-1700hrs Wednesday 31st October An ongoing communication between teachers and parents is key to support children’s academic success. Parents of pupils in Years 2 to 6 are invited to attend a parents’ briefing held by the Junior School Mandarin team. In this briefing, parents will be given key information about the non-native Mandarin class, Mandarin proficiency grades, target-setting, reports, assessments (Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing) and sample a non-native Mandarin lesson. FROM THE MASTER Master’s Society Duke of York Room 1310hrs-1400hrs Friday 2nd November Each month, the Master’s Society gathers to hear a short paper delivered by one of the members. This month, Eric and Leo in Year 11 have joined forces to lead the discussion around, ‘Has financial regulation made markets safer or has it hindered its progress? The question of moral hazard against financial growth’. Parents interested in reading a report of the proceedings of the Society can expect the publication of a periodical containing details of the presentations and discussions in the new year. FROM THE HEAD OF JUNIOR SCHOOL NUMERACY Junior School Maths’ Day Monday 29th October I am very excited to announce that on Monday the Junior School will host Maths’ Day! The day is an opportunity for the pupils to experience Math across lots of different curriculum areas. This will help them to experience mathematics in different situations and experience the real-life application of different concepts. The day is designed to be as fun and interactive as possible, whilst providing rich and meaningful learning experiences.